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This past legislative session, a schism emerged in Texas’ pro-life movement. Suddenly, some of the state’s staunchest abortion opponents, including many who helped shepherd Texas’ sweeping crackdown on the procedure into law, found themselves tarred as anti-life.
The reason? They supported a bill to reform end-of-life care. The measure, which ultimately failed, would have given patients and their families additional time and resources for finding other treatment and filing an appeal process when a health care provider decides to withdraw life-sustaining treatment they deem medically futile.
John Carona, the Republican state senator from Dallas, was among those targeted by
Texas Right to Life, one of the state’s leading pro-life groups and the leader of the crusade against the measure. He scored an underwhelming 63 percent on the group’s influential legislative scorecard.
See also: Texas Right to Life Pushes More Bunk Science on “Preborn Pain,” Calls Observer “Anti-Life”
And how does Carona feel about having his pro-life bonafides called into question, thus giving his challenger in the upcoming Republican primary additional ammunition for painting him as a moderate squish?
“This woman is evil,” he told The Dallas Morning News, referring to Texas Right to Life director Elizabeth Graham, “and I really believe that.” She’s used her group’s clout not so much to promote pro-life issues as to turn lawmakers into her puppets.
Graham is no stranger to sweeping pronouncements of good and evil. Last March, she referred to a group of pro-choice lawmakers as witches and has declared the Observer to be “anti-life.”
In any case, we’ll take Carona’s side in this fight. The man has built a business and legislative career on questionable ethical practices. He’ll know when he’s staring true evil in the face.
Send your story tips to the author, Eric Nicholson.
